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Recommend me a single handed dinghy please
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ColPrice2002 View Drop Down
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Posts: 222 		Post Options Post Options   Quote ColPrice2002 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Recommend me a single handed dinghy please
    Posted: 16 Oct 23 at 9:33am
Try the forum on this website:-

Most owners selling will be happy for you to visit, possibly sail one.
Our Solo fleet is quite strong - with a range of abilities. 
The Solo has a range of different masts available to suit your weigh/sailing and the sailmakers can cut a sail to match the mast and your desires - this makes it a bit more adjustable than say a laser.
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Sam.Spoons View Drop Down
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Posts: 3401 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Sam.Spoons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 23 at 6:31pm
There are some absolutely gorgeous wooden Solos out there for not a lot of money, several on Facebook marketplace as I type ranging from £400 to £1800 (plus a couple of FRP* Winders and a Speed for £3250 to £4100). A good wooden boat will be more competitive than an old GRP boat as they keep their stiffness and shape where GRP boats go soft over the years (not so with foam sandwich hulls).

* Pedant alert Embarrassed FRP seems to be commonly used to refer to foam sandwich construction these days even though technically it means Fibre Reinforced Plastic so includes Glass Reinforced Plastic.


Edited by Sam.Spoons - 16 Oct 23 at 3:14pm
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Posts: 3 		Post Options Post Options   Quote As Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 23 at 10:35am
85kg, I think it is going to be try and see. I agree the wooden ones (that have been looked after) look very nice.
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Sam.Spoons View Drop Down
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Posts: 3401 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Sam.Spoons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 23 at 9:23am
How heavy are you? Assuming you are 70-90kg (ish) either Solo or Laser will work ok but if you want to race bear in mind that competitive Solo's are fairly pricy* and a cheap one will likely be pretty uncompetitive where a cheap Laser (with a half decent sail) would be less so.

* Solo's have developed much more over the years than the Laser going from wooden hulls, via floppy GRP** to modern sandwich construction with fully optimised hull shapes. Early foam sandwich boats are still selling for upwards of £4k as they are so much quicker.

** A good wooden boat will be better than a single skin GRP hull** but will require more looking after.

** And can look gorgeous  Embarrassed
Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"
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Posts: 3 		Post Options Post Options   Quote As Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 23 at 8:05am
Hi David,

Well there are 2 Solo's and about 6 or so lasers at our club. I have just got back in to sailing and my two children are new, we were given a Enterprise but my two have started to use toppers so I am looking for something for myself when they are at school or out in the toppers. I do like the look of the Solo, I will be using a Laser this week.
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davidyacht View Drop Down
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 23 at 9:50pm
Just noticed this is an old thread.  My advice remains … what do other people sail at your proposed club?   I like my Solo, have my sixth Solo coming, but I do recognise that not everyone gets on with them, so try and have a trial sail first
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davidyacht View Drop Down
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 23 at 9:45pm
Pulled my Solo up two slipways today with no difficulty, alloy trolley helps.  But seriously perhaps your choice should be influenced by what water and club you intend to sail at, then decide the class.  Maybe try a few different classes and chat to the people sailing them.  To me the most important thing is the craik the choice of boat is not so critical
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Posts: 3 		Post Options Post Options   Quote As Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 23 at 4:56pm
Originally posted by Alfachats

Hello all, I'm after some advice.
I'm a returning sailor, sailed a bit in my youth (Sea cadets, Royal Navy) but haven't sailed since 2004, however I now live in Falmouth and thought it was time I got back on the water instead of just looking at the water, joined a local sailing club and recently re-did my RYA level 2, throughly enjoyed sailing the Pico but realise at 51 years old and 90kgs its not the boat for me.
However because I work shifts and have weird times off I really would like to get a single hander dinghy I can have some fun with.
Ideally I'd like something I can pull up a slip by myself and something with a good turn of speed and is fun like a Pico is, I suppose the obvious choice would be a Laser but everyone has one (be nice not to follow the crowd) and TBH I've heard they can be hard work at times so I'm thinking something different.
So dinghies on my possible list are as follows: Streaker, Solo, Lightning or maybe if funds allow a Phantom.
For info, Im 51 years old and 90 kgs, basically I will be sailing on the Helford river mostly on my own, but I maybe interested in doing a bit of racing at some point, the club has handicap racing with a mix of Wayfarers, Lasers, Fusions and the odd Europe and an Ospray.

So what would you guys recommend?

Roger.


Hi, same sort of question that  I have. As it has been 2 years since Roger posted this I was wondering if he did buy a dinghy for solo sailing. I am going to have a go with a club laser, but I also like the look of a Solo. I will be using it on a river.
All the best Adam
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eric_c View Drop Down
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Posts: 382 		Post Options Post Options   Quote eric_c Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Oct 21 at 2:14pm
Originally posted by Alfachats

Hello all, I'm after some advice.
I'm a returning sailor, sailed a bit in my youth (Sea cadets, Royal Navy) but haven't sailed since 2004, however I now live in Falmouth and thought it was time I got back on the water instead of just looking at the water, joined a local sailing club and recently re-did my RYA level 2, throughly enjoyed sailing the Pico but realise at 51 years old and 90kgs its not the boat for me.
However because I work shifts and have weird times off I really would like to get a single hander dinghy I can have some fun with.
Ideally I'd like something I can pull up a slip by myself and something with a good turn of speed and is fun like a Pico is, I suppose the obvious choice would be a Laser but everyone has one (be nice not to follow the crowd) and TBH I've heard they can be hard work at times so I'm thinking something different.
So dinghies on my possible list are as follows: Streaker, Solo, Lightning or maybe if funds allow a Phantom.
For info, Im 51 years old and 90 kgs, basically I will be sailing on the Helford river mostly on my own, but I maybe interested in doing a bit of racing at some point, the club has handicap racing with a mix of Wayfarers, Lasers, Fusions and the odd Europe and an Ospray.

So what would you guys recommend?

Roger.


I f you do a good bit of sailing, you might lose a few kg and the laser will look even more obvious a choice.
What you can haul up a slip varies hugely depending on the angle, surface and grip oon the slip way. I don't like the Laser as a boat, but the racing is good. If you race a Phantom against Lasers, you will be a leg ahead and out of touch in light weatheer, which may feel pointless. A lot depends on budget, you can get a useable laser for 3 figure sums. But if you are drawn to some other boat, you have to go with what you like. There are dozens of options, many of the smaller 2 handed boats are good SH if you're 90kg. Things like the vortex and Vareo add the fun of a kite.
Many options!


If you are not racing, then a cheap old boat you don't mind dragging up the beach can be a lot less stress than something shiny and fragile.Racing off a beach, we get each others' trolley. But sailing on you own may not be like  that, boat may need to be dumped on the beach? Although ISTR HRSC has a pontoon to tie up to?
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Sam.Spoons View Drop Down
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Posts: 3401 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Sam.Spoons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Oct 21 at 3:58pm
Depends how much area you've got, Blaze does like room to stretch it's legs so estuaries are good and it's fast enough to stem the tide better than slower boats. Performance is not much different to a Phantom on open water but, as you say, not so well suited to confined waters. If blasting around in a breeze is on the agenda though I'd take the Blaze every time...
Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"
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